Chastises historian for take on flag 083098 - The Augusta Chronicle

By Editor, The Chronicle:

In reference to Edward Cashin's Aug. 16 letter in which he associates the change of the Georgia flag with the Supreme Court's 1934 Brown ruling, it is at best a weak argument presented. It rests on a statement made by Judge John Sammons Bell that had no reference to the flag issue itself. Many politicians at that time vowed to stand firm on segregation while yet realizing the walls were coming down.

To Judge Bell, these two issues were important but separate in thought. As a young man, he had envisioned a way to honor those few "old Confederates" who still told heroic tales. Having their emblem of battle on the state flag would be an ultimate tribute and certainly an appropriate one. To connect one event with the other serves no purpose other than to denigrate those politicians who made that decision on the flag.

The audacity of anyone who takes the words of someone's speech and applies them to a different matter is breaking the rules of historical accuracy. ...

I recommend that Dr. Cashin review the information presented in The Atlanta Constitution at that time concerning the flag change. Is it possible that the legislature might have voted on the flag issue without a hidden agenda?

We do not need apologetic historians interpreting our history with preconceptions and misconceptions. It is understandable why Northern historians interpret Southern history with the intent of self-aggrandizement. It gives their egos a boost to glorify the invasion and destruction of a legitimately formed Southern nation while deifying the most tyrannical of presidents.

Impugning the motives of those who wish to honor our brave ancestors is a cheap shot.